There has been well-known an MFP (Multi-Functional Peripheral) that is provided with various kinds of functions, including a printing function, a copy function, a facsimile function, etc. The MFP is coupled to a plurality of computers through a network. Each of the users, who currently uses each of the computers, transmits data (Page Description Language), representing a document or the like created by using the computer concerned, to the MFP through the network. Receiving the Page Description Language, the MFP parses the Page Description Language concerned so as to create a depiction command, and then, conducts rendering (image depiction processing) based on the depiction command above-created, so as to output a printed paper sheet onto which a formed image is fixed.
Rendering can be implemented by processing hardware and/or processing software, both provided in the MFP concerned. For instance, conventionally well-known is such a printing apparatus that is provided with a plurality of image depicting sections, each of which performs an image depicting operation by using the processing hardware, and another plurality of image depicting sections, each of which performs an image depicting operation by using the processing software, and that makes the both kinds of image depicting sections implement the image depiction processing in parallel so as to improve the processing velocity faster than ever (for instance, set forth in Patent Document 1).
The printing apparatus, set forth in Patent Document 1, sorts the processing into the processing hardware and the processing software, while detecting the loading status of the processing software. On an occasion of sorting the processing, the printing apparatus gives a priority to the processing hardware so as to make the high-speed depiction processing possible. Accordingly, it becomes possible to shorten the process time to be consumed before the printing operation is actually started, resulting in an improvement of the printing velocity.
Further, still conventionally well-known is such a print controlling apparatus that is provided with a rendering section, which performs rendering by using the processing hardware, and another rendering section, which performs rendering by using the processing software, and that categorizes the depiction commands into those to be processed by the processing hardware and others to be processed by the processing software, so as to implement the processing of each of the depiction commands, corresponding to the level of the depiction command concerned (for instance, set forth in Patent Document 2).
In the print controlling apparatus set forth in Patent Document 2, a high-quality rendering operation is performed by the processing hardware, and accordingly, the processing software, serving as a subsidiary function of the processing hardware, does not perform such a high-quality rendering operation that is equivalent to that to be performed by the processing hardware.